RUNWAYS(1941):Concrete:26/08 2000x50 yds extended to total length of
2211 metres by 1996:17/35 1600x50 yds(Out of use July 2003):13/31 1130x50 yds:(abandoned after WW2).

Maps show Hurn in 1972(left) and in 1996(right)after runway extention

.

Known by various names over the past 60 years ,the airfield at Hurn has had a varied history.Opening as RAF Hurn on 1/8/41 the airfield
accommodated a wide variety of RAF units between that date and 3/8/44 ,at which time the airfield passed into USAAF hands for a short period.On 18/10/44 Hurn was returned to RAF control,but only for
13 days.On 31/10/44 the airfield was handed over to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.Already there had been a BOAC development unit at Hurn since January 44,and until 1948 Hurn was the main terminal
for international airline flights into the UK.However by 1949 ,Heathrow was open for business ,and airline operations moved there.BOAC,who had a maintenance base at Hurn ,also
departed.

British South American Airways York C.1 G-AHFD at Hurn in June 1950

BOAC York C.1 G-AGOC at Hurn in 1948.

Dakota G-AGKG at Hurn in 1948.

Scandinavian Airlines Dc-4 at Hurn in 1947.

In 1950 Vickers Armstrong moved into the hangars vacated by BOAC and started production of Varsities.This was followed by Viscounts,and later,as the British Aircraft Corporation,production of the BAC-111.

Airline services continued but only at a low level,mainly to the Channel Islands .Other companies arrived,such as De Havillands ,to use the vacant hangars,and Airwork started operating the FLEET REQUIREMENTS UNIT in 1952.

Another arrival was INDEPENDENT AIR TRANSPORT,later known as BLUE-AIR,a charter airline which closed in 1959.A short history of Blue-Air may be found by following the preceding link.In spite of economic ups and downs, Hurn Airport continued to survive throughout the following decades.On 1/4/69 the airport was purchased by the Bournemouth Corporation and Dorset County Council.This partnership continued to run the airport as "Bournemouth Airport"(later Bournemouth International Airport) until 1995,when it was sold to National Express.The intervening 25 years saw many changes,perhaps the most important being the final departure of BAC in the 80s,On the plus side,the arrival of Flight Refuelling (FR aviation) and of Jet heritage, served to keep Hurn very much "on the map". In March 2001 ownership passed to the Manchester Airports Group .Airline services continue to be part of the business with a increasing number of charter flights in addition to a number of UK and European scheduled destinations.

This brief summary can be only that,and if you really want to get a detailed history of Hurn,I recommend the book"A History of Hurn Airport,by Mike Phipp,published by the RAeS in 1991.

For a detailed look at the BAC-111 production click on this link. For details of other aircraft production at Hurn ,please visit my other website"Aviation in Hampshire UK 1900 to 2000",a link is at the bottom of this page.There you can link to downloads of Vickers/BAC production lists,as well as production lists for other Hampshire based aircraft manufacturers.

When visiting Hurn try to allow time to visit the Bournemouth Aviation Museum which has a collection of approx 20 aircraft on show - many of them in flyable condition.BAM re-opens its gates to the public on Saturday,the 18th October 2008 ,at a NEW SITE adjacent to the Wonderland Family Adventure Park directly opposite Bournemouth Airport.Wonderland is well sign posted from all major routes heading towards Bournemouth and is situated halfway along the main Christchurch to Parley road which passes alongside the airport perimeter.

Hurn as seen from the air in 1947.

And in the 90s after runway extension.

Shaun Churchill sent this shot of Bournemouth-based Sea Vixen G-CIVX in the new Red Bull colour scheme(June 2003)